Explosives disposal robots are well known to police forces and the military and are utilized around the world for dealing with bombs and other hazardous items at a distance from the operators thereof. Typical of such robots is an extensible boom arrangement with controllable grasping means at the outermost end thereof. The extensible boom allows the robot to carry and deliver explosives counter charges to Improvised Explosive Devices.
When a robot is being used to counteract a suspected explosives device it will be moved into a position spaced from it following the placement of a counter charge adjacent the alleged device. The counter charge would typically be suspended from the free end of the extensible boom, deposited and released from the boom at the appropriate time. The explosive counter charge would typically include a detonator and a firing line. The firing line extends from the detonator to the initiation mechanism of the robot, safely positioned away from the suspect device. The firing line is used to send an electrical pulse to fire electric detonators or a shock wave when using non-electric detonators to effect detonation.
It is important during the delivery phase of the operation that there be a certain degree of slack associated with the firing line. The slack is typically maintained by looping the line through a cradle formed from a length of adhesive tape applied to telescoping portions of the extensible boom. When the counter charge is properly positioned and the robot is withdrawing from the danger zone, the boom is extended further so as to stretch the tape and thus permit it to become detached from one or both of the telescoping boom portions. When the tape becomes detached, the firing line should fall to the ground and then the robot can withdraw fully from the firing line without fear of accidentally stretching the firing line and upsetting the counter charge.
Unfortunately, the operation as described above does not always work in the desired manner. In some instances the firing line remains adhered to the tape even after one end of the tape has disengaged from the respective boom portion and withdrawal of the robot could cause the line to stretch and cause it to be moved away from the suspect device. This can considerably frustrate the officers who are charged with dealing with the suspect device in the safest manner possible, since it may mean that an officer will have to approach the suspect device in order to reposition the counter charge.